Texel shearling tops off record £3m NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales

A Texel shearling sold for 20,000gns to top a record £3m turnover at the National Sheep Association (NSA) Wales & Border Ram Sales main sale at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells, Powys.

Vendors and buyers were on top form as 2,600 rams went under the hammer. Turnover was up £500,000 on last year at £3,023,828.75, with a clearance rate of 91.1%. The overall average was up £46.04 at £1,161.67.

Geoff Probert, NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales Chair, was delighted with the day’s trading. A good number of quality rams and outstanding prices had produced plenty of smiles, and the auction system had worked well.

Mr Probert said: “Today’s figures reflect an outstanding day’s trading. The vendors are very happy, and buyers will be pleased with the quality of their purchases, reflecting the buoyancy of the sheep industry at the moment.”

The 20,000gns Montana Texel was one of six shearlings offered by R. and A. Howells of St Mary Hill, Vale of Glamorgan. The family, which has sold at Builth since 1989, runs 65 Texel ewes plus 200 commercials and was thrilled with the result.

Robert Howells said: “We noticed this ram all summer. Now other people have seen his value today, so we are pleased with how well he has achieved his price in the market.”

Will McCaffrey, stockman for the Ellis family, which bought the tup for its Cressage Flock, was clearly delighted. He said: “I am over the moon. He is very correct, he is so wide and his back end and his loins are good.

“He is so even in his back end and his legs are good. He has lovely white hair, and he was the most correct sheep in the market on the day.”

A Charollais shearling sold to 8,000gns and a Charollais cross for 1,750gns. A Blue Texel ram made 3,800gns, a South Country Cheviot 2,000gns and a North Country Cheviot Park 2,000gns. A Suffolk sold to 3,800gns.

An 11,000gns Bluefaced Leicester shearling bred by Aled Jones of Tal-y-Cafn, Conwy, sold to the McClymont Flock.

Mr Jones and his son Aron were delighted with their first yearling through the ring. The ram had been champion in the pre-sale show, and doing so well at the Royal Welsh Showground was the pinnacle of their year.

Mr Jones praised his son: “Aron has been producing the stock and all year he has been telling me we had a good one. The ram has gone up to Kirkstead in Scotland with the McClymont family, and we are just so thrilled he has found a good home.”

The new prize for the best Bluefaced Leicester pen of 11-30 sheep went to Ian and Wendy Jones of Erwood, Powys, who run the Underwood Flock.